(DAVIESS CO.) - Gravel, a new designer drug, is becoming a threat to Dubois County, according to Sheriff Donny Lampert.

Gravel is a highly addictive synthetic stimulant similar to bath salts.

Gravel appears in the form of small rocks or pieces of salt and can be injected or smoked.

According to a release from Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a drug enforcement task force, Gravel is being sent through the mail and has been found disguised in packages labeled as plant fertilizer.

The side effects of drug include increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, violence, paranoia, hallucinations, and brain damage. Gravel is known to cause rapid tissue deterioration around the area of injections sites and can result in gaping holes in the body tissue that can be inches deep.

Several packages of the drug were seized recently in Tennessee during a traffic stop.

Sheriff Lampert is concerned.

"We as a community need to study the signs and effects of these drugs and their impact on the community," he added.

The sheriff's department is asking that anyone who suspects an individual is under the influence or in possession of drugs to contact the department at 482-3522. Callers can remain anonymous.